HEAVEN'S BANE
by winduubladu
Summary: "Protect those who cannot protect themselves.." These are the words that Zane Julien holds true. He believes he was made to be a ninja, and he was. But what if that one time he wasn't fast enough .. that one time it truly counted .. what if he failed?


Prologue

"_The Gray Sky"_

The gentle hum of the car and the voices of her Ipod playlist were the background music for this scene. A young woman sat in the back seat of a black vehicle, her parents complaining about a giant snake.

She was 18 years of age and filled with the same disdain every young person had when their parents suddenly decided to pick her up from school, knowing good and well that she preferred to walk home.

Her tongue darted from her mouth to graze over her lips and her eyes watched the gray scenery outside of her window. It was the current afternoon rush hour and like them others were taking leave from their schools and jobs to return to their homes. Though the traffic was much heavier from the damage left by recent catastrophe.

Five days ago Ninjago City had been saved from the monstrous wake of giant serpent. The beast had been awakened by an ancient race of monsters that she, a few years back, thought were only a myth.

Her family had the pleasure of living in a smaller city over, Tōbetsu, though they had stayed home and watched the frantic report and powerful group who fought so bravely to preserve the capitol.

She heard the voice of her father change the subject, trying to beckon her from the trance of stupor she held. She heard it again, though this time more agitated from zero response. Finally, she heard her mother's voice and immediately snapped to attention.

"Yes?"

"How did your test go, _saya bintang_?" Her Indonesian accent was curdled around her English dictation and the female could not help but smile. Her mother had just gotten to point of speaking English more fluently, but she could tell it was a struggle.

"It went fine. Thank you for asking.. I believe I scored high marks." She responded slowly, looking to see her father's expression. After a few minutes of silence she exhaled hearing him mutter under his breath.

"You believe or do you know…?"

She sent an emotionless stare in his direction, ignoring the stern blue-eyed stare he sent back. Within a few more seconds he put his attention back to the road, though his reprimands did not stop.

She was forced to listen on to how he expected much more from her in the near future. She was in her senior year and it was imperative that she does well.

She of course did not know all of this _already_.. so her father jumped at the chance of reminding her for the hundredth time.

The young woman turned her attention back to the window, but not before noticing a sly smile from her mother. In response she had rolled her eyes, though she smiled back.

Her relationship with her mother was something to be treasured. The woman was the pinnacle of her respect and the number role model in her life. In her beliefs, her mother's grace, independence and skill were the things that made her who she was.

She hoped that one day she would be able to meet at her level of swordsmanship and ferocity.

Maybe one day.

"Maybe one day."

"What?"

Her attention returned to her father who loved visibly agitated. He craned his neck, his hand still on the wheel.

"_Maybe one day you'll realize the importance of our guidance." _He shot at her.

The young woman winced and glared back at him. _What guidance? _She thought._ You're sitting here and just … lecturing me! _- her mother turned to him.

"Claude please..." She pleaded, placing a hand on his arm. "She's just tired from the day, let her rest just for this moment."

"Maia, just look at her! She's not even listening to us! If I were her age my parents would have punished me greatly for being so disrespectful-"

"Claude, she's only so young. She may have had a bad day or .. someone may have said something to her about her accent-"

"Did someone do that...?" He asked, looking back to her. His face was now serious. "If the reason you're being so off-putting is because of petty insults, I'll have you kn-

_BEEEEEEEEEEEP!_

He was unable to finish his words as his eyes met the eyes of the large 18-wheeler in the intersection. As if time slowed, her father's arm moved out to prevent Maia from being flung from the passenger seat and he turned back to meet the eyes of his only child.

A loud horn and ear piercing crash pummeled the car over. The young female felt all breathe leave her body as car lifted from the ground and landed sideways 10 feet from its original place. Her lips parted and they let out a shrill shriek from window's glass that cut her exposed skin.

Her bones rattled and her heart pounded and her entire world spun before everything faded to black.

…

For what felt like eternity, the car laid in the intersection, the 18-wheeler's front completely destroyed and the entire cargo tipped over. The driver was dead. It had started to rain.

The female was hanging from her seat, her safety strap the only thing still holding her secure. Her body racked with pain as she groaned, slowly coming to. Her eyes found the slim black shape of her _Bokken_.

Her hands blindly found her seatbelt, every instinct telling her to flee from the car and to find her parents. With a weak breath she pressed the release of the seatbelt and collapsed onto her right shoulder.

She cried out from the waves of pain she felt from a deep cut that would most likely scar

With her left arm she began hoist herself onto her knees, her hands cut by the stray shards of glass and blindly clutching onto the nothing that was the inside roof of the car. Her ribs shook with each breath she took and she felt a slow stream of blood on the back of her neck.

How badly was she injured?

Allah, her parents… what about –

"Mother? Father!" She cried, hoping to hear a response over the onslaught of rain. Her left hand grasped the handle of her side door and she slowly crawled out onto the wet pavement. She heard the sirens of an ambulance and the urgent voices of those who were kind enough to stop and call for help.

She bit her lip in pain as she began to use her _Bokken_ to lift herself to her feet, her muscles screaming in protest. The female did a 360 scan of the area, seeing the 18-wheeler, the shrapnel.

Her eyes found a group of people who were busily crowded in circle. That was the moment when she was visibly able to make out the limp form of her father. She screamed in horror.

"No!"

She was beside him in a second, her legs now suddenly able to support her weight in her time of panic. She had pushed passed the small crowd and her hands went to her fathers face.

Though he still drew breath he was locked into an unconscious state, most likely from the major bone fracture that now jutted through the skin of his right knee, but it could have been much more..

The girl's hands trembled as she moved his black hair from his face. She squeaked while trying to control her breathing to stop her from crying-

Her ears did not allow her hear the concerned voice of an older woman trying to move her. Her gaze had shifted back to their car.

Her mother..

The only thing she saw was a body being hoisted onto a stretcher.

Everything else droned out, everything was silent. The only thing she could was her mother's limp hand.

_No …_

The only thing she saw was her mother being put into a body bag.

The only thing she heard were her screams of sorrow to the gray sky.

* * *

In the bated shadows of a concrete bridge, the king of darkness watched with indifference at the horrific scene. The evil in his veins hummed with contempt, seeing the ambulance, the crowd and the destruction.

His brows rose when he heard the screams of a young woman, the rain unable to drown out the sorrowful tone. His four hands held the sacred golden weapons, which had just freshly slain the Great Devourer.

Her screams were growing annoying, and he simply wished to shut her up...

His red and demonic eyes stared at the female, who was being checked by the paramedics. She sat slump on the ground, blood covering the back of her shirt. In her hands she grasped a training sword, sheathed in black.

His interests then peaked a bit. It was rare that you saw Ninjago's youth with an item such as that. Most sword fighting had been forgotten for firearms and the only people who held true to symbol of the Samurai were those of old age.

Though this girl did not look native to Ninjago. She was an ethnicity he had never encountered. This may have been what set her apart from others.

Her body was limp as they began to usher her into the ambulance, the authorities now trying to clear the area and steer traffic. A news crew was on sight reporting the incident to the media. Her pain was being broadcasted to land.

The Dark Lord had concluded that humans were a special case. When travesty happens they react in such distinct ways. Whether through rage or sorrow and sometimes even without emotion. He had concluded that his way of coping was the slow build up of a poison that could kill a man.

Revenge.

When the Great Devourer had bit him as a boy, his descent into which he was gifted him with the darkest outlook on the world. That was why he stepped up to the Ninja, to be the one to take the final blow on the serpent that had changed his path.

It felt so ... calming. The energy of the weapons, the power he possessed. He had reached part of his resolution. He had killed the beast that had destroyed him and at the same time rebirthed him.

No matter who the person, now matter how pure of soul they are...

There will always be a dark mar on them, for no one is perfect.

So this girl, who was only so young, would she become what he was? Obsessed with rectifying herself, and showing the world her pain?

As the crowd of cars and ambulances began to dwindle away the resolution hit him.

"_I can bend this girl … I can use her for my own gain!"_

* * *

The young female sat in the quiet waiting room of the Fitz-Gerald General Hospital & Medical Center. Her arm was bandaged and stitched, as well as the wound on her head. The nurses had tried to clean her up to the best of their ability and then had left her to wallow in her own misery.

The center was fairly filled with victims still recovering from the Great Devourer attack and they had just gained two new patients, though one was already lost.

Earlier they had taken her to see her mother, stating her time and date of death. They had given her small condolences, but she refused to regard them.

Her only focus was the cold but still beautiful face of her mother who looked as if she were sleeping.

Oh how she wished she were sleeping.

They had rolled her body to the mortuary and soon she was where she was, disheveled and quiet in the waiting room.

"Miss?"

"…"

"Miss? Uh ... Excuse me?"

Her eyes slowly move to stare at the man. He wore a lab coat, obviously a head doctor. He had wavy mop of neck-length blonde hair and nut-brown eyes that were filled with concern for the un-answering young woman.

"Y-Yes...?" She slowly said, closing her eyes and furrowing her brows. His voice rang in her ears.

"I am Dr. Satomi Jirou. You are the daughter of Claude G-"

"Yes… Yes. I am, please give me the status of his condition." She interrupted him, her eyes now open as she glared.

The older man slowly nodded and began to flip through some papers; he gave her a sad stare before beginning his report.

As she listened her face remained stoic, though her hands visibly shook.

"In conclusion, Miss. I am sorry to say that your father may not ever be able to see or hear again."

The female's eyes closed once more and she slowly stood up. Jirou took a step back watching her carefully. The male was used to family members going into hysterics, knowing exactly how to handle-

"May I see him?" She whispered, eyes wet and pained. The male blinked, surprised by her reaction, he patted her shoulder giving her a sad nod.

"Yes you may."

She gathered her wooden Bokken, which received her many stares, and was led to room 384B where her father lay on the hospital bed. He was hooked to several machines and dressed in a blue hospital gown.

If he were good well he would have been complaining about the indecency of it.

Her visage fell into a sad smile as she went and kneeled by the bed, taking his hand and pressing his knuckles to her lips.

"Father." She spoke as if he were able to listen to her. "Mother's spirit has left us to be in a better place… Then this _wretched _earth." Her bangs shadowed her expression; her grip on his hand tightened.

"I am sure she watches over us at this very moment."

A wet trail of tears began to stream from her eyes and she shook her head, holding his tightly as her shoulders shook. "If given the chance... I wish. I could reverse this tragedy. If-!"

She looked up, her eyes a puffy red and face flushed.

"If only I could...!"

"Do you truly hold your word to that promise, girl?"

"Yes…" She whispered.

Her eyes widened and she looked to her father. He lay where he was, still unmoving.

As she slowly processed the situation, her breath hitched in her throat. Her upper body twisted to look behind her. She wished that she hadn't.

Behind her stood the Lord of all Darkness, the man that saved an entire city of 3 million from a giant beast.

Her eyes remained trained on his characteristics of 4 arms holding 4 weapons, looking so dastardly out of place and abnormal it was enough to give her nightmares.

Maybe this was a nightmare. Maybe she could wake up.

"_**Answer me child..." **_He scorned, his pearl white teeth barred.

That was when she screamed, and when she did she was met with a jab to the face with blunt side of the golden katana he carried.

She lay on the floor, her cheek swollen and blood coming from her mouth. His attack was powerful to shut her up quickly before anyone had had a chance to notice.

Her sobs turned into curses, her curses turned into screams and once again he smacked her across the face with the weapon.

"You own a _Bokken_ .. a training weapon that hasn't been used for ages except by few." He said icily. "Are you trained in Kendo?"

Her body shook as she slowly hoisted herself up. She held the side of her swollen face, coughing some blood onto the white tiled floor.

"Yes..." She hissed, ignoring the intense pain in her cheek.

He nodded, watching her movements.

"You say you wish to reverse these events. But how far are you willing to go to do so..?" He said slowly. His eyes burned with ambition as he gazed down at her.

"Why do you care you god forsaken monster.. Why are you here?!"

In a second, the female had drawn her wooden sword. She knew for a fact that she would not win this petty fight, for his golden katana could split her _Bokken_ and her in half. Though, she still charged at him, the shaft aimed for his head. Her anger and confusion drove her, wanting to rid herself of this menace.

The Lord of Darkness simply sidestepped her faulty attack. He watched as her eyes widened and let out a sigh of annoyance before grabbing her _Bokken_ and crushing it in the grip of one his hands.

The young woman trembled as she held her now broken training sword. She gazed to the broken end of it and then to the pieces of oak on the floor. Her eyes watered and she shakily breathed in.

"Leave... please leave!" She begged.

She cried out as he gripped her hair, pulling her off of her feet and holding her as if she were a rag doll.

"So foolish, maybe you aren't filled with the same ambition I hold.."

Her eyes narrowed, and her teeth clenched. Though her scalp felt as if it were on fire she held a fiery gaze. "You know nothing about me. You're a menace to Ninjago you-!"

"**I more ability and wisdom in my **_**pinky**_** finger then you do in your entire body!" **He snarled, gripping her hair tighter. She cried out, fresh tears on her face.

"I will one day hold the power to move mountains... anything you desire can become reality, girl. Aid me in quest and I will rectify this entire ordeal. I will make it so as if it never happened."

As he sat her down to her feet, her hands reached to soothe her scalp. Her visage remained shadowed for a long period of time, but the Lord of Darkness stayed where he was, waiting for her decision.

"You would be a fool not to accept my offer. Do you honestly think anyone in Ninjago can do things _I_ can do?"

…

The girl, slowly straightened up, her hands clenched into fists. Visions of her mother's dead body, her death and blind father, and her broken sword flashed through her mind. She stared at him, expression stoic. She still distrusted this monster; she wanted nothing to do with him. But as the distasteful words left her lips, she stared at him with the ferocity of a tigress.

"_What is my first task?"_

* * *

**OHHH YESS *FISTS PUMPS EXCESSIVELY* THIS IS IT I DID IT I'M GONNA DO IT TURN UP. HAHAHAA**

**HEAVEN'S BANE is going to be a huge task for me, but I'm really going to push for it to be the best. I plan on making it a two book series, this book focusing on Zane. Now I know what y'all are thinking.. _"Where the heck is Zane this entire prologue was about some emo chick and Garmadon!" _Do not fret! The rest of the book will be in his POV! Prepare for some drama cause its coming your way! Haha!  
**

**I'd like to thank my dear three friends, GarnettFox, VioletAssassin, and xInkblotx for the great help! You girls are all bae! All of you .. at the same time. xD' Please check into the HEAVEN'S BANE blog (link is on my profile!) I have set up to stay updated on ideas, characters and get an outlook of this little headcanon Ninjago I've created. I plan to have the next chapter up by Monday or Tuesday .. so if I don't .. you may burn me at the stake u_u.**


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